BLOOMINGTON – Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that, presented with an explosive, experienced graduate transfer in Brandon Dawkins and a high-ceiling freshman in Michael Penix, IU coach Tom Allen was still won over by the only quarterback on his roster who’s done that before.

Peyton Ramsey, the redshirt sophomore who wrestled the starting job away from Richard Lagow last season, only to relinquish it through injury in November, is the Hoosiers’ No. 1 signal caller again.

He will start against Florida International on Sept. 1 and, while Allen made it clear he wants Ramsey’s position mates to stay engaged and keep pushing him, IU’s coach expressed supreme confidence in his new QB1 when he made the official announcement after practice Thursday.

“He has the lead in the collective group,” Allen said of Ramsey. “He understands the offense really, really well. He knows where to put the football, where to take the ball, who to get the ball to. He has the ability to get us out of a jam with his legs. He has the ability to get first downs with his legs.

“He has a competitive toughness and grit that I like.”

In total, Ramsey started four of the nine games in which he appeared a season ago. He passed for 1,252 yards and ran for 226 more (after accounting for yardage lost to sacks). He threw 10 touchdown passes to five interceptions, and ran for two more scores.

Peyton Ramsey received the most votes for the Hoosiers' leadership council.(Photo: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports)

But Allen made it abundantly clear Thursday that Ramsey won the job on intangibles as much as anything you’d find in a media guide or on a stat sheet.

He was, according to his coach, the quarterback with the best command of Indiana’s offense, a succinct way of saying he not only knows the playbook well, but also knows how to adjust when what’s drawn up on paper won’t quite do.

When Indiana voted on its player leadership council in the offseason, Allen said Ramsey won the most votes of any Hoosier “by a landslide,” suggesting his trust level in IU’s locker room is as high as any Hoosier’s.

“Not that that’s a primary thing, but it obviously means a lot,” Allen said.

And, in the end, it’s probably fair to say Ramsey does best the things Allen wants the most out of the quarterback position.

If you’re even the least bit skeptical, listen to Allen explain it himself.

“There’s three things the staff and I talked about that we want from this position, and what we were looking for throughout this competition,” Allen said. “First of all, a quarterback that protects the football, in his decision making, how he reads coverages, how he distributes the ball, how he protects the football. That was No. 1.

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Peyton Ramsey started four games for the Hoosiers last season.(Photo: Bobby Goddin/for IndyStar)

“No. 2 was the ability to move the team down the field consistently throughout those opportunities, whether it was scrimmages or team or those times throughout practice.

“And No. 3, wanted a young man the team believes in. That’s very, very important to me.”

In other words, Allen wants a quarterback who reflects what he wants from his football team — consistency, steadiness, toughness and dependability.

Making plays is important, of course. Being explosive on offense will always be appealing, in the same way Allen hammers home his desire for a turnover-hungry defense.

But in the aggregate, Allen wants a team that is dependable, reliable and tough. He described Ramsey as having “a linebacker mentality, playing the quarterback position.” From a longtime defensive coordinator, that’s a telling comparison.

“To me, it’s about getting the ball to our playmakers on offense,” Allen said. “He’s one of those playmakers, but distributing it to the right guys at the right time is what he does best. I think that’s what pushed him ahead of the other guys.”

Dawkins and Penix will play. Allen made that as clear as Ramsey’s winning the starting job.

The former is the greatest running threat of the three, making the idea of Dawkins-specific offensive packages appealing as a change of pace. And while Allen would very much like to retain Penix’s redshirt if he can, he clearly plans to use the new four-game redshirt rule to get the reigning Hillsborough County (Fla.) offensive player of the year some snaps, saying Thursday, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him early.”

Still, it’s Ramsey’s job, primarily and indefinitely. Could one of those two push him and pass him? Of course. But Penix had the spring, and they both had all summer, plus fall camp, and the player who almost a year ago unseated a fifth-year senior came out on top again.

“He looks a year older. He’s gained good weight. He’s stronger, and a step faster,” Allen said. “He’s a much better player than he was last year, in my opinion.”

Ramsey is a better player. But it’s fair to say it’s what hasn’t changed about him that won him IU’s starting quarterback job, as much as what has.